Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). The final phrase is the essential one – as I have loved you. Have you let God love you? Please don’t hurry past that question.
We don’t love people because people are lovable. People can be cranky, stubborn, selfish, and cruel. We love people for this reason: we have come to experience and believe the love God has for us.
We tend to skip this step. We clench our teeth and say, “I’m supposed to love my neighbor? All right, by golly, I will.” But the source is not within us. It is only by receiving our Father’s agape love that we can discover an agape love for others. We cannot love if we aren’t first loved. So let God love you!
